Скачать или смотреть China's Fake Offices Where People Pay to Look Busy

In China, pretending to work has quietly become a booming industry.

In this video we explore how China’s growing “pretend to work” economy emerged in the wake of rising youth unemployment, a collapsing property market, and the crushing social pressure to succeed at all costs. Across cities like Shanghai and Chengdu, fake offices are now renting out desks, manager rooms, and even staged work activities to young people who want to appear employed.

We also look at the deeper cultural context of the rise of the “lying flat” movement and why so many young people in China are now choosing to opt out of the system entirely.

Some of these fake office businesses have also crossed legal and ethical lines by offering fake internship certificates and handling social insurance payments to make customers appear officially employed.